My Red Threads Of Destiny
by Sacredfire44
Summary: Minato saved Kushina from the Cloud Ninja, and now she can't get him out of her head. The boy she once saw as girly and undependable, was now strong and kind - perfect, even - in her eyes. Was this love, or was it just misguided emotions? And with the Chunin exams coming up, Minato's fairing no better. Young MinaKushi, mostly Canon.
1. Red Thread of Protection

**Disclaimer:I do not own Naruto! WHY DO YOU KEEP ASKING ME THAT! *cries pitifully***

**Hey, guys! I was searching the website for a MinaKushi fanfiction about when they were younger, and I couldn't find anything. I guess it's because most people get flamed for having non-canon fanfictions. :P But I can trust you guys, can't I? You guys won't flame me? I don't mind constructive criticism and all, but if you don't like the fanfiction, just don't read it! Anyway, I read the only young Minato and Kushina fanfiction I could find, and it didn't get Minato's personality right at all. I did my research, trust me. But just so you know, Minato can't start out OP, kay? He will probably be OP by the end of the Chunin exams, but no earlier. Tell me if you want me to put more detail into my story and all, ok? Hope you enjoy my chapter! Keep reading for a special Author's note at the end!**

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Minato sat down beside the table, his hand holding his head up. "I wonder what my next mission will be like...,"He thought out loud. "I heard your last mission was a big success!,"His mother called from the kitchen. "Yeah,"He sighed. "I just hope that little girl we watched doesn't get into trouble again."

"That's sweet of you, Minato,"His mother added. From the smell, Minato could tell she was cooking dinner. He closed his eyes in boredom. His father was out on a mission somewhere, too.

Suddenly, the front door slammed open. Minato jumped to his feet. It was dark outside, the only like coming from the full moon. "Minato! Kushina's gone missing! I saw a search party leave just now!"

"Am I one of them?,"Minato asked, suddenly worried. "No... But most of the shinobi are being informed to keep a lookout!,"The boy added, jumping away.

Minato raced for the door. "Minato! You can't be thinking of going looking for her?! She could have been kidnapped!,"His mother called, racing towards him. "No! I have to go!,"Minato snapped, his face serious,"I have to go, now!"

Before Minato could see her reaction, he ran for the door at his high speeds. He wasn't as fast as he would have liked; He trained daily on his technique to improve it's speed to one he would like; But to most, he was running faster than most Gennin could even hope to be.

A nagging feeling pulled him to the forest where he had found her being attacked by the Gennin during their Academy days. He couldn't describe it... He knew she wouldn't just run away; She had a dream! She had to have been kidnapped!

He shot his gaze from side to side, searching for any sign of a struggle, or anything that would lead him to Kushina. Nothing... Not even footprints... A small red streak caught his gaze. He spun around, skidding to a hault. A single strand of beautiful, soft red hair was caught in the root of a tree.

"This is Kushina's!,"Minato gasped, looking up and scanning the ground. Another small clump of the bright red lay on the dirt, and another after that. With the small strands tightly gripped in his hand, he followed the pathway laid out for him until, finally, he heard leaves rustling in front of him.

Minato didn't slow down. He raced forward, punching the man that took the rear so hard that he fell to the ground, then bounced back just as the two others looked behind them. Kushina looked exhausted... So weak, looking ahead like she was blind. He kicked the man beside Kushina who had turned around, knocking him to the dirt. Before jumping away, Minato caught a glimpse of the ninja's forehead protector. Cloud Ninja!

The third ninja must have spotted him, because he jumped away from Kushina in the opposite direction Minato had, leaping up into the trees, but Minato had tricked him, flashing to the tree just behind him, kunia ready. He pushed off the tree trunk, slicing the ninja with the knife and sending him flying into the tree across from them, then tumbling to the ground.

Minato jumped down after him, sliding the Kunia back into a pouch before he landed in front of Kushina. She was still limping forward weakly, her gaze blank and her eyes dull. "Are you hurt,"Minato asked. She kept walking for a moment longer, then stopped, looking up from the ground to stare at Minato with eyes so dark.

A cloud shifted away from the moon, revealing Minato, who had been hidden in darkness for so long. He smiled gently at her. "I came to save you,"He murmured. She smiled weakly, then her eyes closed, and her legs gave way beneath her. Minato jumped forward, catching her before she could hit the ground. He turned her to look at him. "You'll be alright now,"He smiled gently as he spoke.

He moved her position, holding her so that she lay in his arms bridal style. "W-Wait a minute,"She gasped as he jumped up into the open air, above the trees, into the crisp, clean moon-lit air. "That's...,"She murmured, staring down at the strands of red hair that Minato still held clenched in his hands.

"You're hair is so beautiful, I noticed it right away,"He told her with a smile. "But you're always ignoring me,"She muttered, turning away. "Because I know that you're strong,"He told her,"In body, and in spirit." He knew he was speaking from his heart. He had no need to interfere when she had gotten in a fight before now. He landed on the very tip of a tree, looking at her with his bright blue eyes.

"But this is a fight between two villages. It's different from your other fights, so...,"He murmured. "So?,"Kushina asked in a quiet voice, staring at him. "I didn't want to lose you,"He whispered.

Her eyes widened, then relaxed. She gulped,"Even if I'm an outsider?" Minato looked at her deeply,"Why do you say that? You live in Hidden Leaf Village, so your one of us." He closed his eyes in a gentle smile.

Minato turned, carrying her like that in silence back to the village. There was no need to speak. He jumped along the roofs of the buildings, stopping outside the hospital. "You need to tell Hokage-sama that I'm back!,"Kushina retorted as Minato jumped down to the street beside the door. "We need to get you checked over first,"Minato demanded.

Kushina turned her head away in annoyance as Minato carried her into the hospital, ignoring the gasps of surprise from others as he signed her in. "Go away,"Kushina snapped, after Minato, lead by a nurse, had carried her all the way to the hospital room and laid her down in the bed. "Are you sure you're ok?,"Minato fretted. "I'm fine!,"Kushina growled.

Minato could tell she was lying about that. Her face was pale, almost white, and her eyes were still dark and dull with exhaustion. Her legs still trembled weakly, and she looked like she was only standing out of shear will, but he didn't want to annoy her. "Be careful,"He warned her before leaving to report to the Hokage.

By the time he made it home, his mother was already in bed. His father still wasn't home, and food was placed on the table, with a note. "Heat up the food for two minutes. It should be warm enough by then. - Mother,"Minato read it out loud, then sighed. He was exhausted, and could see the lines of dawn coming over the horizon, but he knew he needed food. He heated it quickly, sleepily finishing it off and washing the dishes.

Though he was exhausted, he forced himself to walk straight as he headed up the stairs to his room. The moment he closed his door, he collapsed onto his bed, sighing and almost immediately falling to sleep.

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**So what do ya'll think? I, personally, like it and I'm very proud of it! I hope I didn't mess up Minato's personality to much! I've actually been writing this fanfiction for fun for the past few months, then decided 'Hey! Why don't I put it up!'. If you liked it, go check out my other stories, and favorite, follow, and review my story! To join my unnamed Army, follow my account. I would appreciate a favorite aswell! I pray you wait in excitement for the next chapter! No flaming, constructive criticism is fine, and if you have a better name for the fanfiction, or a name for what my army should be called(mind you, I don't write just Naruto), please review! See you next chapter! Bye!**


	2. Red Thread of Teamwork

**Disclaimer: HAHAHAHAH! FOR ONCE I OWN SOMETHING IN THE FANFICTION! And, however painful it is for me to say, I do not own Naruto. Sadly, I own the OCCs...**

**No one was reading my story, so I thought maybe because it looks to much like a One-Shot! Here's the next chapter to prove otherwise! I would write something funny but... I... I'm becoming Shikamaru... I'm to lazy for my own good... The rating was 'K+', but I'm kicking it up to 'T' for future violence, so be warned! Oh well... My test to skip a grade went well, and now that that's over with I can get more work done on these fanfictions than I could before now. Oh, and if you want to know what Minato's teammates look like, just search up Team Jiriaya. It should be on the Naruto wiki! Now, in other news, please enjoy the chapter!****  
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It had been two weeks since Kushina had been kidnapped, and Minato had been told that the Chuunin exams would be held soon. Minato hadn't even gotten the chance to see Kushina since then, and hoped her team would make it.

Minato's team had been chosen to go long ago, and all agreed they would progress together. Since then, Minato had been training rigorously, doing his best to raise his speed, in which since had increased rapidly, though still not satisfying him completely.

He stretched his leg outward. He was in the middle of the training grounds. Hikaru and Sari, his teammates, had not been able to make it that day. He slide into splits, leaning towards one leg as he counted. He finished his stretches easily, then dropped into a push-up position, going as quickly as he could in his push-ups.

He counted them down. "83...84...85...,"He kept counting until he reached 100, then did a few extra, before standing up. His arms had gotten used to it, and didn't even hurt. He looked up at the stream that ran through the training area. He concentrated on a single leaf, floating down from a tree on the far side of the steam, then raced towards it. Without hesitating at the edge of the stream, he jumped over to a stone in the middle, then to the far end, and dove for the leaf, still fluttering down. He stopped, crouched on the ground with the leaf in his hand. Not a drop of water was left on him, and he threw the leaf to the side, standing up slowly.

"You're quiet the skilled one, aren't you,"A voice spoke further away. Minato spun around to find Jiraiya-sensei sitting on a rock further away. "T-Thank you, Jiraiya-sensei!,"Minato bowed. "No need to bow, Minato,"He laughed,"But I want to know, why didn't you just run over the water?" Minato ducked his head,"I wanted to push my limits a bit more." Jiraya sighed, standing up to walk away.

"W-Wait!,"Minato called. He wanted to know more, what he could do to make his abilities better and stronger. The man stopped walking. "Come back tomorrow, Minato. I want to teach you a new jutsu,"He called, walking away once again. Minato walked over to the bar, pulling himself up, then back down, and again, but slower than he usually did, distracted by his thoughts.

_I wonder what kind of ninja will make it into the Chunnin exams... I really... I really hope Kushina will make it in... I want to see her again... I hope she was able to get home from the hospital back then..._

"Minato!,"A familiar voice called. Minato dropped down from the bar. "Hikaru? I thought you weren't coming!"

"I finished what I needed to do quicker than I thought I would, so I decided I'd come train. I found you doing chin-ups over there. I was waiting until you finished to talk to you, but you've been at it for almost an hour!,"Hikaru explained. "What!?,"Minato gasped, holding up his hands. They were raw, trembling. "I guess I wasn't paying any attention,"Minato smiled warmly, scratching the back of his head. Suddenly feeling very exhausted, Minato fell to the ground, lieing down and staring at the sky as he caught his breath.

"You were so zoned out, you didn't notice me training...,"Hikaru sighed. "Hey, Hikaru. Since you're here, do you want to do a bit of sparing once I catch my breath?,"Minato suggested between gasps. As Minato slowed his breathing down, Hikaru nodded, walking over to help Minato to his feet. "Thanks."

Minato slowed his breathing more, until it was just a silent wisp of air. Hikaru backed up, taking a stance. Minato copied him, but kept his hands closer for defense. If he timed it right, he might be able to get behind Hikaru and attack from the back, but if he couldn't it was better to have a good defense.

He tensed, leaning forward, waiting. Then Hikaru raced towards him, his hand in a fist, pulled back to attack with more force. Minato waited intently as Hikaru got close, then, just as Hikaru threw the punch, Minato ducked, racing forward behind Hikaru, who was tripped by the force of his own punch.

Minato raced his hand to attack, but Hikaru touched the floor with his hands, deflecting Minato's attack with twisting feet. He brought his foot down on Minato's head, but Minato raised his arms to block his head, just in case his teleportation jutsu didn't work, and flashed farther back.

Hikaru hit empty land, loosing his balance and toppling to the side. Minato raced forward when Hikaru had scrambled to his feet, punching Hikaru in the stomach, and jumping behind him, kicking him to knock him into a tree. Minato flinched at the thud it made as his teammate hit the trunk, but as he did so, Hikaru's body was surrounded by a puff of smoke, replaced by a log.

Before Minato could react, feet kicked the back of his knee, and his legs crumbled beneath him as he fell to the ground. Hikaru kicked him in the stomach before Minato could use a substitution jutsu, the force of which threw him towards the tree. Minato used it to his advantage, recovering and twisting as he flew towards the trunk. He pushed off the bark, using the force of both his legs and the attack Hikaru had thrown at him to attack with an even greater strength. His arm outstretched, he flew back, hitting Hikaru around the neck and sending him toppling into a tree.

Minato was about to attack again, when an annoyed voice spoke above the noise they had been making. "I swear! I go out looking for you two, and here I find you two beating each other to a pulp!"

"Sari!,"Minato gasped, spinning around. Sari was staring at them in frustration, her black hair tied up on the top of her head. "You two are so beat up!,"She gasped, ignoring Minato and bounding over to Hikaru, who was staring at her, a black eye swelling over his right eye.

She scanned his eye, taking out a medic pack from her ninja weapons pocket. "Minato! Come over here so I can look you over, too!,"She ordered. Minato obeyed, walking over to her and sitting down beside Hikaru.

"Really! What were you two thinking, going all out on each other like that?,"She snapped as she placed a bandage over Hikaru's eye. "We were sparing!,"Hikaru whined. She sighed heavily, finishing the bandage and checking over the rest of him quickly. "Minato!,"She called, turning to him.

Minato let her look his face over for any wounds, then his arms. "Your hands are rubbed raw, but other than that, you only have a few minor bruises. Still, you need to be more careful while sparing! You'll end up killing each other!" Minato and Hikaru laughed happily as Sari wrapped his hands with bandages. "It's not funny! I'm serious!"

"Oh, yeah!,"Minato added, his laughter fading away. "Why were you looking for us?,"He asked. "Oh, yeah!,"Sari gasped. "During the Chunnin exams, my father told me we have to go through The Forest of Death. It's a survival challenge, so I thought we'd have a better chance if I learned medical ninjutsu. So I won't be joining you in your training for a while, because I'll be doing my own training,"She explained,"I'm really sorry."

"It's fine, Sari! You're right, it would be a great help!,"Minato reassured her. "Thank you!,"Hikaru added. "I have to leave now! Bye!,"Sari sighed, standing up to leave. "I might as well walk you home. My mother wants me back soon,"He added, stumbling to his feet. "Be careful!,"She gasped, grasping his hand and stabilizing him. She let go, following him as he lead the way off of the training grounds.

"Bye!,"Minato called after them, standing up. He wanted to practice some more. He closed his eyes, forming a few hand-signs and concentrating on his feet. Power surged within them, but he didn't more, letting it grow stronger and stronger. Finally, he opened his eyes, bounding across the clearing as fast as his feet could carry him.

Though slowed by exhaustion, Minato had gone much faster than he had expected. He looked up. He had been training all day, and he could see the sun, drifting below the horizon to make way for the moon. "I better go home...,"He sighed, walking along the pathway.

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**Please, tell me what ya'll think of this chapter! I found out that I'm 89% Naruto and 11% Sasuke XD Ain't that weird? Exact opposites? Well, apparently(I have no idea how it figured this out, but it's true) I was alone without a true friend(someone pretended to be my friend, because they were dared to) until I was about 12 years old when I got my first true friend, and everyone hates me for reasons unknown to me. Also, I pretend to be stupid and hyper on the outside because I'm crying on the inside and don't want anyone to know. I also am slightly an avenger O.o Can't survive without that good old revenge! :D And in real life, I have unnaturally yellow-blonde hair and bright blue eyes. I also 'ya know' a lot, love ramon(have you tasted that stuff? It's delicious!), want to surpass my siblings(that was my Sasuke part), want to be the best I can be and make everyone acknowledge me... I'VE BEEN INFECTED BY NARUTO! Maybe it's the fact that I've been watching Naruto since I learned to talk... XD O.o He infected me... I have the deadly Narutard disease...**

**Fun fact for the day: After laughing, you get momentarily high! YAY!**

**Anyways, if you liked the story, favorite, follow, or review my story, and I would really appreciate some new Sacred Army recruits!(still working on the name!) So to become a recruit, just follow and/or favorite my account! Tell me what you think of my story! See you next chapter! Bye -tteboy!  
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	3. Red Thread of Training

**Disclaimer:I do not own Naruto. If I did, you would already have a spin-off about young Minato and Kushina**

**Yeah, yeah, I know already. Horrible name for a title, but it's so hard to come up with! So I just called it 'My Red Thread of Training'. I'll probably stop using 'Red Thread' for a title during the Chunnin exams, but for know, it stays like it is, and will start up afterwards. And some people told me that Minato was always praised as a prodigy, so I'll explain a few things that I should have explained when I started this story. Minato actually graduated from the Academy at nine, and just turned ten in the story, meaning it's about March right now. Yes, I memorized his birthday! Actually, I was supposed to share it, but I was born early, and instead share Shino's birthday, four days before. Instead, my sister shares Minato's birthday D: Back to what I was saying, (note the automatic switch of subject) Minato is a prodigy, but since Jiriaya just now took him on as an apprentice he still doesn't have any jutsu to show off with. But you might notice that it only takes him a day or two to master jutsu. That's it for now, so please enjoy the chapter!**

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A thud caught Minato's attention as he walked. He stopped, turning around. He had reached a different training area, one deeper in the woods. Kushina stood in the middle, alone, punching one of the three logs that stood in the middle of the clearing. Minato watched her, alone, in the clearing. It was getting darker, but she didn't slow down. She was sweating, Minato could tell, and she was exhausted.

"Are you ok?,"Minato called. Her red hair flew around her neck as she spun around to look at him in surprise. "M-Minato!,"She gasped. "You look exhausted!,"Minato exclaimed, bounding over to her. She was paler than usual, though she looked much better than she had when she had been captured.

"Where's the rest of your team?" Kushina bowed her head,"They didn't want to come train today, so I'm alone..."

"Have you been training all day?,"Minato asked. "Y-Yes,"She sighed,"But I have to get stronger! I won't be able to make it through the Chunnin exams if I don't!"

"If you train to much, won't it just make you to weak to train again, or fight again later?,"Minato pointed out. "I don't care! I can take it! I have to!"

"Then can you come back tomorrow to train? It looks like that log can't take much more,"Minato pointed amusingly towards the beat-up log. Before she could answer him, he grabbed her hand, pulling her back to the path. "Hey!,"She gasped. "Come on! It's late! I'll walk you home!"

Kushina, who had been digging her feet into the ground to stop them from walking away, took in a breath, then speed up to walk just behind Minato.

**Kushina POV**

Kushina walked beside him in silence. There was something about being around him that just made her want to smile. She giggled silently to herself. "Hey! What's so funny?,"Minato asked with a cheerful smile. "Oh, nothing,"She smiled back. "I'm going to be in the Chunnin exams too,"Minato told her. "Really?,"She sighed, hardly surprised. "I hope we don't have to fight each other...,"He murmured, almost too quietly for her to hear.

Kushina sped up slightly so she could walk right at Minato's side. He looked kind of zoned out, which was something he usually wasn't. She hoped she could make him feel better any way she could. She gripped his hand so that he wasn't just holding her wrist.

He looked at her surprised, and Kushina just smiled back. "You ok?,"She asked. "Just deep in thought,"He sighed, staring at the sky. Usually, night would make Kushina feel lonely, but, with him beside her, she felt happier than she had in a very long time.

_Fill yourself with love..._ The words echoed in Kushina's mind, and she smiled gently, hugging Minato's arm almost unconsciously.

**Minato POV**

Minato looked at Kushina in surprise as she hugged his arm, but relaxed almost immediately, smiling. Kushina opened her eyes, pushing away in surprise as though she didn't remember doing anything. Instead, she simply held his hand, following him as he led the way back to the village.

"Uhhhh... How do you get to your house?,"Minato asked uncomfortably. Kushina let go of his hand. "I can find my way back from here alone! Thank you, though... For walking with me, I mean,"Kushina added, waving goodbye before running off.

"Good luck!,"Minato called after her before heading off in the direction of his own house, smiling softly. "Be safe,"He murmured after she was gone.

The next day, Minato woke up early, calmly heading to the training area to meet Jiriaya. He walked with his hands in his pockets, reaching the area quickly.

"Jiriaya-sensei!,"Minato called, looking around. "Minato! You seem to have gotten here before I did,"Jiriaya sighed, walking into the clearing. "Jiriaya-sensei,"Minato sighed heavily, shaking his head.

"What were you going to teach me?,"Minato asked. "I need to tell you something first. So please, sit,"Jiriaya instructed, falling into a sitting position on a rock, his legs crossed. Though confused, Minato calmly sat down on the ground below the man.

"Minato, you are my most exceptional student - One I am very proud of,"Jiriaya began. Minato bowed his head in modesty. "I'd like to make you my own apprentice, Minato,"Jiriaya's voice, which was almost always light-hearted, sounded serious, and his gaze was darker.

Minato kept himself as calm as he could, but couldn't resist jumping to his feet. "Really?,"He asked excitedly. Jiriaya nodded. "Where do we start?,"Minato asked. "I want to teach you a jutsu you can use in the Chunnin exams, that will help you very much."

"What?,"Minato pressed. Jiriaya bit his finger, drawing blood. He formed five seals, though Minato couldn't make them out, then placed his hand on the ground. A puff of smoke appeared, later replaced by a large frog as big as the rock Jiriaya was sitting on.

"The summoning jutsu,"Minato breathed. "Before we begin, you must sign a contract with the species you want to summon. If you don't, you'll be transported to the land of the one you are most like,"Jiriaya warned, pulling out an enormous scroll that was attached to his back.

"Sign your name in blood from the hand you use most. Then put your fingerprint in,"Jiriaya ordered, throwing the scroll on the ground so it unrolled. Minato nodded, biting his finger, letting blood trickle down his hand. He dabbed his other fingers in the blood, and began writing his name.

"Na-me-ka-ze-Mi-na-to,"He spoke as he wrote his name in bright red. Then he pushed his fingers into the space below his name before pulling away. Jiriaya and him sat in silent for a single moment to wait for it to dry, then Jiriaya grabbed it, rolling up the scroll. "The hand-signs are Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, and Ram. For it to work, you must donate blood from the hand you took from to write your name. Just cut it and then put your hand to the ground were you want the animal to be summoned,"Jiriaya explained, attaching the scroll to his back. "The more chakra you put in, the stronger the summoning."

The frog summoning disappeared. Minato held up his hands, taking a deep breath before signing Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, and Ram. He bit his finger again to let the blood flow from the previous scratch. He closed his eyes for a single moment to imagine the blue chakra, flowing around him, and gathering inside him. Then he through his hand the the ground, shouting,"Summoning Jutsu!"

A blast of smoke surrounded his hand, and he pulled back. A frog almost as big as the one Jiriaya had summoned sat in front of him. "Good job,"Jiriaya mused. "Thank you, but it's still not as big as the one you summoned, sensei,"Minato pointed out. "Well, you can't have everything on your first try,"Jiriaya laughed.

"By the way, you, Sari, and Hikaru have been working so hard lately, I thought we could all go to the hot springs together tomorrow,"Jiriaya added. "Yeah right. You just wanna watch all the girls there, don't you?,"Minato snapped. "Who, me?,"Jiriaya asked with fake innocence.

"Fine, I'll go,"Minato sighed heavily. "Good!,"Jiriaya puffed in victory. "Also, I had a good idea to help you with your teleportation jutsu."

Minato stood up straight again, and his frog summoning disappeared. "You know you have to place a marker on a spot you want to jump to, right?" Minato nodded. "Take our that Kunia you had specially made, will you?"

Minato took out the oddly shaped kunai, holding it out. "Put the seal on the handle of these, and you just have to throw a bunch all over the battlefield. Then you can jump anywhere you want on the battlefield, at any time!,"Jiriaya informed him of the plan, which to Minato, actually sounded like it would work. Minato pulled out the rest of the Kunia and began laying them out in rows.

"I have research to attend to, so I leave you to it,"Jiriaya told him, walking away. "Sure! research!,"Minato sighed sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he formed a quick hand-sign. He held his hands over the Kunia, concentrating all his chakra to the image in his head.

The writing for the seals slowly appeared on the Kunia knifes. Minato let out a gasp of breath he had been holding, opening his eyes that he had closed to get a clearer image. "Let's try this out..."

Minato split them equally into his two hands, then threw them at the field. They all hit their marks exactly. Minato grabbed one of his normal kunia knifes, and threw it in the air above him. "Go!" He immediately teleported from one side of the creek to the other, grabbing the kunia and slicing the tree it was on, before teleporting to the next, and the next, and finally back, grabbing the kunai he had thrown in the air before it hit the ground. "Wow! It was so fast!,"Minato gasped, sliding his weapons into his pouch. He let himself fall to the ground, staring up at the bright blue sky as he struggled to catch his breath.

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**I know that this was a boring chapter. To make it up to you guys, I'll upload another chapter along with this one. Sorry it took me so long to upload... Again... I'm getting worse than Kakashi *sweatdrop***

**Kakashi: I TAKE THAT OFFENSIVELY!**

**Ignore the crazy screaming monkey behind me.**

**Kakashi: COME OVER HERE! I'LL RIP YOU TO SHREDS!**

**Oh, how did Minato put it again?**

**Minato: *randomly appears* 'Now that you put it like that, NO'**

**Thank's Minato.**

**Minato: No problem! *holds hand up to the air and flys into the sunset* MINATO! AWAY!**

**Please review, favorite, or follow, and if you really like my stories, you can join the Sacred Army. Just follow/favorite my account! I'll see you next chapter! Hopefully, you'll see it soon!**


	4. My Red Thread of Crushing

**Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, the show would be driven out of business because I couldn't meet deadlines XD**

**Now, what did I tell you? This is a reward for *cough*patiently*cough* awaiting that boring chapter. Some with more patience than others... YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! You all asked for some more MinaKushi, and so here you go! Oh, and by the way, to all of you who are reading this and are recruits, thank you very VERY much. I know this chapter is a little short, and the chapter title isn't catchy at all, but I'm doing my best. The titles are going to be the different things that would effect your destiny. Teamwork, training, protection, crushes... They'll effect you! So I'll do my best with that, even if it's not catchy... This story was actually supposed to be really sweet and fluffy, and I was actually planning on writing it as a poem the first chapter for a bit, but I rethought that because, you know what, I'm horrid at writing poems. In my opinion at least. Please enjoy!  
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"Let's have a girls' night out!" Kushina looked up in surprise. "What do you mean, Mikuto?,"She asked. "I mean, lets go to the hot springs! We could use a chance to relax! We have been training non-stop!,"She insisted,"And we can go out today!"

"I'd be happy to go!,"Kushina cheered, happy to have a chance to relax. Though she knew she needed to train, her legs felt like giving out below her. "We are done with training for today, so why don't we go now!"

"Sure!" Kushina followed her best friend and teammate towards the path that led to the hot springs. "Kushina! Look! There it is!,"Mikuto exclaimed, running ahead. "Yeah -ttebane! Wait up!,"Kushina gasped, staying right behind her friend.

They slowed to a stop as they reached the door, stepping in and taking off their shoes. Firstly, Mikuto went to pay for them. Then they walked slowly to the girls' changing room. After taking off her clothes and wrapping a towel around herself, Kushina locked her clothes in one of the lockers. Mikuto was already in the hot springs by the time Kushina came out. It was an open-air hot spring.

There was a wall that separated the boys' and girls' hot springs. They soaked in silence for a moment, getting used to the warmer water. "Mikuto! Kushina! It's you!" Kushina spun around to see Sari walking out of the changing room with a towel wrapped around her. She slid into the hot spring beside them.

"What a coincidence! Me and Kushina were here on a girls' day out! What about you?,"Mikuto asked. "Oh! My sensei decided it would be nice to have a day off of training, and payed for our team to come here!,"Saki explained. Kushina flinched, blushing.

"Y-You mean, M-Minato's here, -ttebane?,"Kushina stuttered. "Kushina, what's wrong?,"Mikuto asked. "No way! You like Minato, don't you?"

"W-What makes you say that, -ttebane?,"Kushina looked away, her face almost as red as her hair. "I had my suspicions before now. Every time you even hear us mention his name, or see him walking in the street, you always get all dreamy-faced!,"Mikuto pointed out. "No way!,"Saki gasped. Kushina thought she heard the tiniest thud, and then a gasp from the boys' side of the wall, but shook it away, thinking she imagined it.

**Minato POV**

Minato slipped into the hot springs first, waiting as his sensei and Hikaru joined him. Hikaru took a running jump, leaping into the spring and sending hot water cascading on Minato and Jiriaya. "Hey!,"Minato complained.

"Sorry!,"Hikaru apologized, though his eyes were alight with amusement.

Jiriaya shrugged, and Minato almost immediately noticed how he was slowly inching closer to the wall between them and the girls. "Oi!,"Minato snapped,"Stop that!"

"Yeah! Stop that, sensei!,"Much to Minato's surprise, Hikaru backed him up. Then he let out a sigh of exasperation at what he said next. "I want to look first!"

Minato face-palmed, leaving a red mark on his forehead. They both began search the wall for a hole. Minato slipped deeper into the water. _If anyone asks, I have nothing to do with them, and have never met them before..._

When they couldn't find anything to look through, Jiriaya gave up, sitting back into the water with annoyance. Hikaru pressed his ear to the wall, listening closely. Suddenly, he let out a muffled gasp, throwing his hand over his mouth. He released it. "Minato! You need to hear this!,"He whispered. Minato hesitantly pressed his ear to the wall.

"Kushina, what's wrong?,"A familiar voice asked. _Mikuto and Kushina are here, too? _Minato listened closer. "Oh my god!,"That was Saki,"You like Minato, don't you?" Minato stepped back silently, and, without a word, slid back into the water.

"What was that about?,"Jiraya asked. Minato shot a warning glare at Hikaru, only to realize he had gotten bored before they had said anything and went back to soaking in the water. He looked back at his master. "Nothing. I don't know what Hikaru was so excited over,"Minato lied, though inside he felt warm, and happy.

After a while, Minato stretched, pulling himself from the hot spring. "I'm going in,"He sighed, tying a short towel around his waist. "I'm coming too. Any longer and I'll become a prune,"Hikaru called, following Minato after tying a towel around his waist.

Minato changed quickly into his usually outfit, pulling on his gray jacket and leaving it unzipped as he usually did. Minato stepped out into the hall, leaving Hikaru, who always took a lot of time changing.

"I'm going to wait for you guys out here,"Kushina's voice called, and the curtains parted to reveal her in her ninja uniform, a towel laid on her shoulders to shield them from her beautiful, wet red hair that draped them. She let out a gasp as she saw him. "Minato -ttebane!,"She covered her mouth as she said that.

Minato laughed lightheartedly. "Good to see you, too!,"Minato joked. Kushina laughed happily, too. They talked together, smiling, as they waited for everyone else to join them outside the hot spring.

* * *

**Have I mentioned how much I LOVE cliffhangers? XD I love this couple so much! Someone once told me that this couple was as beautiful as Twilight... You know what I say to that? TWILIGHT SUCKS! ... Wait a second... O.o No Pun Intended... (That was not on purpose, I promise, xD) I'm trying this ten hour challenge that shows the same video over and over again for ten hours straight. I'm doing the challenge legit, so I have to actually watch the video without doing anything else for ten hours straight... I couldn't take it, so I stopped looking at it just long enough for me to edit this chapter and the one before it... I'm at hour 5... This video is a torture item now... O.o If my calculations are correct, I've seen the same video 250 times in a row... O.o Wonder how long it took them to make this... Anyway, I am actually really depressed right now. I spent a whole year getting read for the test to skip a grade, and I failed! D: And every kid kept asking me why I was studying, and every kid I told thought I said I already skipped a grade, and told me to stop bragging! And now I'm going to be a laughingstock when I go back to school next year! And I'm the only one of my siblings that took this test and didn't pass... And I have three siblings... My mother wouldn't even let me see my grade... I'm almost certain that's a bad sign! D:**

**Anyways, if you liked the story, review, favorite, or follow! I enjoy constructive criticism, but I'd appreciate if no one starts flaming me! I'd also appreciate if you became a Sacred Army Recruit! Just favorite or/and follow my profile to join! See you next chapter! Bye, -ttebane!**


	5. Let The Chunnin Exams Begin!

**Disclaimer:I wish I owned Naruto, but sadly... I don't...**

**I'm just mentioning this now, but because I found the Chunnin exams so boring, I am going to add the chapter every other day, simply because I am expecting it to last at least 20 chapters... O.o I'm so sorry about that, recruits, but I'll do my best to finish it quickly. I will start uploading like normal again after the Chunnin exams. So here you go! If any of you noticed, I started calling you recruits, even though most of you aren't part of Sacred Army, but I think it will be easier for me to remember! Sasuke's father may be a bit out of character later on, and I'm sorry for that. You've all asked for more, sooner, so here you go! Enjoy! ENJOY I TELL YOU!**

* * *

Minato woke up slowly, mumbling angrily as sunlight pierced through the window and filled his eyes. He rolled from the bed, rubbing his eyes as he pulled his sheets back into place out of habit. Then, he remembered what today was. It was the Chunnin exams day!

Minato jumped, hoping to wake himself up. Though he wasn't late, he knew he might be if he didn't hurry. He grabbed his clothes from atop the desk, and raced for the bathroom connected to his room. He traded out his pants and shirt quickly as he ran, then grabbed the toothbrush, brushing his teeth as he pulled on his socks. He rinsed his mouth, grabbing a brush and combing his hair thoroughly as he slipped his shoes onto his feet. He threw the brush into the drawer, glad for his ninja abilities as he grabbed his jacket.

He pulled his jacket on as he raced down the stairs. His mother saw his frantic race and held out a few slices of buttered bread. Minato grabbed them, eating them as he ran, his jacket successfully on.

"Minato!,"It was Hikaru. He and Sari were standing in front of the building they had to go in with Jiriaya-sensei. "You made it! I thought you chickened out!"

"Never!,"Minato reassured him. "I wish you all the best of luck,"Jiraya praised as he left them alone. "Let's go,"Hikaru cheered, opening the doors and leading them through the halls and, finally, stopping at a door. He gulped, but Minato just shrugged. He had to have confidence in his own abilities.

The first stage of the exam was a test. Minato looked over the nine questions. They were extremely difficult, and Minato knew they were to hard for any ordinary shinobi to answer, but he remembered the rules given to them. "No cheating, or you will be disqualified!"

Minato knew he would have to break the rule for at least one of the questions. He finished the first three easily. But the fourth was extremely difficult. He looked at the window, hoping to catch an idea as he zoned out. Then he realized, the Gennin beside the window was writing faster than the others were. He looked closer at the window, though making his appearance make him seem zoned out. He could see the reflection of the Gennin's answers on the window, and quickly began writing them.

"Pencils down!" Minato placed his pencil on the desk, quiet confident with his answers. Then he looked forward, spotting Kushina. She was trembling slightly, and her paper had no handwriting on it at all. Minato wished he could do something for her, but now he could do nothing but watch.

"I will give you the final question!,"The proctor called. "But before that, this is your last chance to back out. If you back out now, your team goes with you, but you can always retake the test. But if you fail this last question, you won't just be sent back to the Academy. You will never be allowed to be shinobi again! Even if you have all these questions on your paper wrong, if you get this last one right, you will pass this stage of the exam!"

_I'm not backing out now! But I worry for Kushina..._ One by one, people raised their hands to quit, until there were few remaining. Half worried and half relieved, Minato realized Kushina's team still stayed strong, and though Mikuto and Kris were still looked worried, they looked much more calm than Kushina, who was holding her head to the desk.

_Keep calm, Kushina! You can do this!_ Minato prayed quietly, then flashed his gaze to Hikaru, who looked almost equally worried, though not letting it show as much. _You too, Hikaru. You can do this!_ The proctor looked the group of kids over once more.

"Does anyone else want to quit? This is your last chance!,"He called. The kids all looked worriedly at each other, but no one said a thing. Kushina, Minato noticed looked as though he was placing all her bets into this last question.

"Three!,"He called. "Two!" Minato cast one last anxious glance at Kushina. "One!,"He called,"Time's up!"

"So you all are determined to listen and answer this last question, even if it costs your dreams?,"He questioned. Everyone glanced at each other, a new determination lighting their eyes. "Then you all pass!,"He called. Everyone looked up in surprise.

"What!?,"A kid gasped. "Your determination not to give up and look back, no matter what the costs, shows how much you want to be shinobi. It is also a test to see how you will react to situations during missions. You all have shone that, and proven that you are ready to be Chunnin!,"The man explained.

Minato looked sideways. Sari was sitting in her chair, a look of shock and delight plastered on her face. Hikaru smiled wide. Kushina, who was sitting behind her teammate, jumped up at the same time she did. Mikuto entwined her fingers with Kushina and they both jumped up and down happily, smiling.

"You will now move on to the next stage! Tomorrow, you will meet your next proctor for the exam in front of the Forest of Death,"The proctor announced, leaving the room, followed by the Chunnin that had been watching them to make sure they didn't cheat.

Minato sighed heavily, joining Sari and Hikaru, who had grouped close to Kushina's team. He cast a glance at Kushina, who looked back at him. He smiled, and she spun around. Minato swore he saw a small line of blush on her cheek, but he couldn't be sure.

Minato sighed, knowing he had imaged all of it, including what she had said at the hot springs. She seemed to be avoiding him, and wouldn't even make eye contact with him anymore. Had he had made her angry somehow? No, that wasn't it. She just didn't think of him in the same way as he thought of her...

Minato dropped his gaze, looking back to Sari and Hikaru. "We should leave now. We need to get ready. Make sure to bring as many weapons as you can. Don't worry about medical supplies. I had them prepacked!,"Sari added. "And remember not to forget the water containers, Minato!"

Minato barely heard her. "Minato?" He jumped, staring at her in surprise. "What? I-I wasn't listening." Sari shook her head,"Honestly, Minato. You're never like this!"

"Really?,"Minato murmured, snatching a glance at Kushina. "Minato! Listen! This is the Chunnin Exams we're talking about! We need to make a plan!" Minato stared at Hikaru once again, focusing all his attention on the two, trying his best to block out Kushina from his mind so he could concentrate.

"Got it."

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**Yep... Pretty much just the first exam. I felt so guilty after I wrote this, cause as soon as I was done, I realized Sakura got all the questions right without cheating, and Minato could only get three! But I'm to lazy to rewrite it, and I needed something to write without just saying 'Minato got all the quesions write, waiting for the final one to be told.' Sometimes it's boring to write from the point of view of a genius... . -_-***

**If you liked my story, please favorite or follow it! Also, check out my profile if you get a chance and follow/favorite it to become a recruit! I hope you all wait excitedly(I now proclaim this a word) for the next chapter! See you then!**


	6. Enter the Forest of Death!

**Disclaimer: OMG WHY I NO OWN NARUTO!?**

**OOOOOHHH MYYYY GOOOODDDDD EEEEPPPPPIIIIICCCC FFFFAAAAAIIIIILLLLLUUUUURRRREEEEEE! I only just started this 'Every other day' Idea and I'm already getting things late! Oh my god, I'm sorry everyone xD! I did my best with the explaination of the whole thing, but I kept it short because it was so boring to write... O/.\O I did my best with everything... And I was so distracted by the story 'Phoenix Rising'... If was a fanfiction about Sasuke being reverted back into a newborn back, without his old memories... And he choose Naruto to be his father. Poor everyone who didn't figure out he was adopted xD Naruto was 17 when he became newborn Sasuke's 'father', so... yyyyeeeeaaaaahhhhh... Poor Hinata fainted again... and again... and again... But it was really said because for seven years Naruto couldn't risk going back to Konoha for fear that they would recognize Sasuke and hurt him, despite that he no longer had his skills, intelligence, and memories he once had. So I got so distracted by this beautiful story that I didn't get a chance to write! I'm such an idiot! *gets hit in the head by everyone* And yesterday was the 4th of July, and I had to take care of my cousins from dawn to dusk! The girl(both are ironically seven and are twins) fell asleep in my lap while we were watching fireworks, so I cared her to bed and tucked her in. The boy I made sure he got ready and sent him to bed as well... O.o I really hope this makes up for the longer than normal wait! Sorry! Don't kill me, and enjoy!**

**PS: In japanese, the kanji for nine also means "death" and "torture"**

* * *

Minato was the first of his team to make it to the gate that surrounded the Forest of Death, staring at the menacing jungle calmly. Sari appeared next, and Hikaru jumped up to them just as the proctor arrived.

"I will be your proctor for the second stage of the Chunnin exams, so you all better be prepared!,"She announced, holding up two scrolls. One was white with a blue-lined seal with the words "Heaven" written vertically down it. The other was blue scroll with a white seal, the words "Earth" written vertically down the side.

"These are the two scrolls you must take before you can finish this stage. You will have five days to make it from your assigned gate to the tower in the center of the forest! Each team will start with their own scrolls. Since they're are forty-four teams left, twenty-two of you will have the heaven scroll, and twenty-two of you will have the earth scroll. Again, you must collect both of them by any means necessary before you may continue. If you fail to do this, you will be disqualified from the exam!"

Minato listened intently. "You will have five days to get through the forest and collect the two scrolls. Send one member of each team to a ten to recieve your scroll and your gate number. Then head to your given gate. When all teams are ready, the gates will open and the stage will begin! Also, a warning. Do not open the scrolls, no matter what happens."

Minato turned to Sari and Hikaru. "I'll go,"He suggested. After the agreement of both of them, he left, heading in the direction of a tent. He tried to make it quick, flashing forward so that he was closer to the front of the line. He sat in the line in silence. Then he hear a muffled gasp, and spun around. Kushina! She had gotten in line just behind him!

"Kushina-san!" Kushina looked away slightly. At this gesture, Minato felt his heart drop, though he didn't say anything. They stayed like this in silence, until Minato was called into the tent.

An older man handed him the heaven scroll. "Make sure not to let anyone see it until after you have started,"The man warned as Minato slipped the scroll into his ninja pouch,"And I wish you good luck, boy. You are gate number nine..."

"Thank you,"Minato bowed politely before leaving the tent and joining his team. "I got the scroll. I'll tell you which one when we get to Gate number Nine." Now that Minato had said it, he shivered at the number on his tongue. They walked in silence down to the gate, watching as other teams passed them. When many of them stopped coming, Minato crouched down in a circle with Sari and Hikaru. "We have a heaven scroll, so keep watch for the earth scrolls. I brought my supplies as well, what about you two?"

"I have my medical supplies,"Sari reassured him. "I brought the blankets for warmth,"Hikaru told him. "Go!,"A voice called. With a loud creak, the gate doors swung open. The trio stood up together, the plan flashing through Minato's mind. He flashed a glance at his teammates, then grabbed their arms tightly. He ran at his top speed now, flashing through the trees, screeches of agony echoing around them. Minato knew their theory had been true...

_"I took a look at the Forest of Death this morning before I got here. The gates aren't very far apart, and with so many people running at each other, it's bound to be one of the biggest war zones other than the tower itself,"Sari explained. Hikaru nodded,"You are definitely right, Sari. Minato, do you think you could carry us both out of there as fast as you can?"_

_"I'll do everything in my power to make sure we do this,"Minato promised._

After a while, the cries for help faded into the distance, and Minato skidded to a hault. He let go of his teammates' arms, falling to his knees. He gasped for breath. He had never run that far with his top speed in his life, let alone with so much extra weight to carry!

"Minato! Are you ok?,"Sari asked, crouching down beside him. "J-Just pushed myself a bit more than usual..." Hikaru bent down to Minato, helping him up to his feet. "We still aren't safe here, but it's much more than in that War Zone. We need to keep walking. Drink this,"Hikaru, pulled a container of water from his bag, holding it up for Minato, who gulped it down thirstily.

"I can keep going,"Minato tried to stumble away from Hikaru, but fell to the ground. Hikaru tightened his bottle, putting it away. "I can help you walk until you can go on your own,"Hikaru ordered, pulling Minato's arm over his shoulder. "Let's go,"He sighed, helping Minato limp along, Sari following them closely on the other side of Minato.

"Don't get separated,"Sari ordered. Minato was struggling just to keep his feet moving. He truly had gone faster than ever before, and had drained his chakra. "Thanks to you, Minato, we got further than any other group, in a short amount of time."

"But now I'm just slowing you down...,"Minato sighed. "But it will be for only a short time, and we are at least a day ahead of everyone else!,"Hikaru reassured, glancing back and forth as they walked.

"We should try to find the stream that runs through the middle of the forest. It will lead us straight to the tower, as well as provide food!,"Sari explained,"But first, we need shelter for you, Minato!"

"I-I'm fine,"Minato tried to convince them, though he was hobbling along just barely. "No, you're not,"Sari snapped, taking the lead. "I think I see somewhere we can stop!"

"Show me,"Hikaru demanded. "Follow me!" Sari led the way towards a large tree, well, not that much larger than the others. It's roots stretched out to provide an area underneath for shelter, and ferns hid it from the sight of those who weren't looking.

Sari pushed the ferns out of the way, then pulled a blanket out from Hikaru's bag, laying out on the flat ground. "Lay down here,"She ordered. Minato reluctantly obeyed, and Hikaru squeezed in beside them.

Sari closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath of air. Then she opened them, placing her hands on Minato's chest. A green glow surrounded her hands, and Minato winked in pain, like a nettle pressing into his skin. "Activate this chakra point here...,"Sari murmured to herself,"And then..." She pointed out one finger, the chakra sharpening around it's tip,"Cut the chakra wire here..." She pushed her finger into Minato's skin. Though no skin was pierced, pain stabbed through Minato's entire body, and he felt his arm, of which Sari was touching, go numb, all feeling disappearing from it.

He had to clench his teeth together to keep from screeching. "Now apply chakra into the break...,"She murmured. Minato, through the blinding pain, felt strength flowing back into the rest of his limps, and a bit of the numbing in his arm go away, though that wasn't necessarily a good thing, as pain shot through it immediately. "Then concentrate all chakra on the break, and condense it into a bandage...,"She muttered, sweating slightly. Minato felt the pain in his arm disappearing, and feeling fully throbbed into his body.

"Done...,"Sari sighed, falling backward. "You should have more energy to keep moving, now that I've given you some of my chakra. I cut the chakra wire, but not all the way through. It should heal before tomorrow. Until then, you should still be able to move. But be careful for today."

"But we need to keep moving!,"Minato protested. "Hikaru and I will split up and search for the river. We will meet back here if we don't find anything in two hours. You, Minato, need to get some rest, Doctors orders."

"Fine...,"Minato sighed, leaning back farther. Though not exactly comfy, it was good enough for Minato to fall asleep, the pain numbing away. Just before he did, he heard Hikaru add something else. "We will move our shelter closer to the river if we can find it."

* * *

**I'm horrible with names. Also, if you wanna know what Team Jiriaya looks like, search up those words are Narutopedia. Sari is the one with the hair over the head. I know it is a boy, but the team needed a girl, and the other one didn't look anything like one, so I chose that guy. Hikaru is the other one, and Minato is obvious. XD Who would miss a giant mess of blonde hair?**

**Minato: STUPID HAIR! THEY WOULDN'T LET ME INTO ANBU BECAUSE OF IT! Yet they let Kushina in... *sniffle sniffle***

**Shut up! I'm trying to write an Author's note! Not a sob story! Anyway, again, I'm sorry for missing my deadline again! I'll do better next time, I swear it! If you liked the story, please look up my others, and favorite/follow my profile to become part of the Sacred Army and support my work! I love when people favorite or follow my story, so please feel free to! See you next chapter!(Hopefully on time, too :D)**


	7. Battleground

**Disclaimer:Don't own Naruto... Sad face...**

**Oh, you guys! I'm so flattered by what you guys tell me! Really! You recruits are to nice to me! I was late because my laptop was taken when I was grounded, and I couldn't update for a while, but I have it back now, so I'll try to catch up. I'm deciding, since I always miss the 'every other day' thing, it will be once a week, maybe more. I think I have the most free time on Mondays, so expect it then! I'll tell you if there are any changes! Also, I want to come up with a fanfiction idea that I love more than anything, and that I can continue for, hopefully, a hundred chapters or more, but I can't come up with any ideas. I've found that my favorites are the fluffy ones... I love the ones with baby characters in them... I've come to love the author 'Kai Maciel' mostly for the story 'Phoenix Rising' and 'Savior'. I love the ones with Itachi in it, especially!(Anything with him is considered epic :D) So if any of you have any ideas like that you want to share, but your already wanting to write a story on it, give the idea to me and I'll bend the plotline to my liking :D Also, I'd like to thank Jerza Fernandes for being the one with the most comments put on my story so far!(I really like reviews!) I hope this is enjoyable! This will have more action than Minato's chapter. He avoided it to easily, so this should make up for it! ENJOY!**

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Kushina let out a cry, sending a boy flying into the trees, knocked out. They had been stuck in the middle of the fighting near the gate, but, unlike most of the groups, they were able to get past the first wave of fighters rather quickly, getting further from the gate. A lot of the weaker teams who hadn't been fighting and only running were there. Bad luck was, the strongest members were there as well, having to be avoided at all costs. Kushina didn't want her team being severely injured before even starting!

Mikuto was wrestling with a girl further away, and Kris was bounding through the trees to them. Kushina felt arms grab her from behind, a kunai pulling up to her neck. Just then, Kris jumped up, pushing the attacker off Kushina's back. They were all bleeding and wounded, but were in much better shape than a few of the others.

"Run!,"Kris ordered. "I saw some of the rock ninja, the stronger ones, heading this way! We need to go, now!" Kushina nodded, motioning to Mikuto. Though screeches surrounded them on all sides, Kushina spotted a mostly clear path through the ground. She made a run for it, Mikuto in the middle and Kris in the very back.

A cry echoed out, and a ninja dressed in the usual cloud ninjas' black outfit jumped out for Kushina, making her freeze, horror from the incident of kidnapping her paralyzing her legs. "Run, Kushina!,"Kris's cry broke into her trance. He jumped in front of her, a kunia extended, and sliced the man, fending him further away. He through shuriken at the man. Blood poured out, and the man fell to the ground. "Run!,"Kris repeated, pushing Mikuto and Kushina ahead of him.

Kushina sped up, running and running as fast as she could. There was no end! After a while, the screeches still in there ears, Kushina had to stop. Kris pulled them into a bush to stop and rest. "You ok, Kushina, Mikuto?"

"Y-Yeah,"Mikuto stuttered, out of breath. Kushina couldn't reply. How long, now, had they been running? All day? Kris popped his head out of the bush for a moment to look around, then pulled back in, signaling for Kushina and Mikuto to get lower and be quiet.

Six ninja flew through the clearing, kunia extended, attacking each other with ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu, all at once. Kushina pushed Mikuto's head down, just as a leg flew past the bush, dodging it just barely. Eventually, they jumped away, leaving the trio alone.

Kris made sure that everyone was gone, then sat up. Kushina and Mikuto copied him. "I am pretty sure they will all go into hiding and calm down at night. That is when we should travel, so until then, we should take shifts in watches, which should let us sleep,"Kris decided. "I'll take the first watch."

Mikuto agreed easily, but Kushina shook her head. "NO! I'll take the first watch, -ttedane! You've been fighting more than me and Mikuto! You need more. Mikuto will take the watch after me!,"Kushina insisted. "Hey! I don't want-,"Mikuto began, but shut up as Kushina shot her a glare that could kill.

"I mean, ok,"She sighed. "I...,"Kris began, then sighed,"Fine. I know it's no use arguing with you, Kushina. You always win..."

"Get some rest. You too, Mikuto, -ttebane,"Kushina smiled in triumph as Kris and Mikuto laid down to get some sleep. "Kris, do you still have the scroll with you, -ttebane?,"Kushina asked worriedly. "Yeah,"Kris held out the Earth scroll. "I think we should take shifts carrying it...,"Kushina explained.

"Good idea,"Kris agreed, handing her the scroll, of which she tucked into her ninja weapons pouch. Then, Kushina sat upright, staring out the leaves, looking both ways every few minutes.

After a while, Kushina woke Mikuto up, careful not to stir Kris. "Your shift,"Kushina murmured, finding a comfy position below the leaves. She let sleep drift and cloud her mind.

It only felt like a few minutes later, but then Kris woke her up, and for Kushina, that was enough sleep to let her walk through the night. It had to be. She struggled to her knees, carefully not stirring the leaves. "I was right,"Kris whispered,"We need to get out of here, though, because we only have about, I'd guess one or two hours before they start fighting again, so we need to hurry."

Kushina quietly snuck out from under the bush, meeting Sari and Kris in the tree branches. they started by getting as far from the ground as they could before bounding through the branches. "Hurry,"Kris whispered loud enough so they could here. "I think a saw some movement below us... But we are almost out of the danger-zone."

Mikuto exchanged a glance. After a few minutes, they slowed down, going lower to the ground, happy to have a chance to relax. After a few more minutes, Kushina felt her eyes beginning to close. She slipped. "Kushina!,"Mikuto gasped, breaking her fall on the ground and helping her to her feet. "Let's find somewhere to get some longer sleep. I got the most sleep last time, so I'll take the first shift,"Kris insisted. Mikuto carried Kushina as they found a small opening of a cave. "Back up,"Kris ordered, his hands moving in a hand sign as Mikuto backed away.

The cave opening widened a small bit, revealing a large, circular cavern inside. _I forgot that Kris used Earth-style..._ After they got inside. Mikuto set Kushina down. Kushina pulled her weapons pouch off, putting it down for a pillow, which was an action copied by Mikuto and Kris. "I'll get some sticks,"Kris decided, heading out. It took only a few moments for him to return with a pile of them. He set them down in the middle of the cave.

"Go ahead, Mikuto."

"Fire Style, Fireball jutsu,"Mikuto whispered, forming a circle with her fingers. A smaller fireball then her usual shot from her mouth, lighting the branches. Immediately, Kris closed the cave entrance so that no one would notice the fire. He made the tiniest openings in the roof so smoke could get out, but in such a small amount it wouldn't be visible.

Kushina fell asleep almost instantly. With a longer time to sleep, the shifts were longer. By the time Mikuto woke her for last shift, Kushina felt fully rested already. Finally, Kushina crushed the fire away, waking Kris and Mikuto. They left the cave just before the sunrise, leaving the cave behind.

The groups who had survived the bloody battle the day before had finally separated from this part of the woods, scattered around the forest, and Kushina's group were able to walk slower than before.

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**I hope you like the chapter! Sorry, no MinaKushi this week D: But I want to stretch out these exams... Trust me... It will be chapter seventeen before you know it... I'm so sorry the chapters so short, especially after making you all wait so long! Adding to what I said earlier, I may write a story based on Phoenix Rising, because that was the most epic fanfiction I've read in a very long time... I went on the wiki for that story, and I told my friend what it said about Sasuke without telling her it was a fanfiction, or a different Sasuke, and she exploded XD. It said 'Sasuke is depicted as a cheerful yet timid child of age seven.' lol... Timid and cheerful, huh? Uzumaki Sasuke, huh? I'll be hanging that over his head for the rest of his life. By the way, in case any of you are wondering, since I want to stretch this out, you may see every birthday from ten to twenty six when Naruto is born... So be ready for sixteen birthday parties xD Itachi's first five birthdays may also be shown, because you can't have a fanfiction without Itachi :D So be ready for this. I made them twenty six when Naruto is born, cause Sasuke is also born that year, and Mikuto is there age, with a child of five. I want her to be at least twenty one when she has her first child... And some people spell her name as Mikuto and others Mikoto, and my computer translated it as Mikuto, so that's what I'll call her. Please wait in excitement for the next, hopefully longer, chapter!**

**Don't forget to join Sacred Army by following/favoriting my profile! Please feel free to follow/favorite my story, and review it as well. I love constructive criticism. Also, check out my other Naruto stories! You may be surprised by some, and not so much in others! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Until next time!**


	8. Minato vs Ren

**Disclaimer:I don't own Mina-chan... or Naruto...**

**Yes! I got it on time for once! :D I thought this was kinda boring, and I'm sorry for that! LOL Here's a list of teams I created. Can you guys tell me if I mess up with it at any time? Thanks!**

** Team 4**

**-Minato Namikaze**

**-Sari Ihara**

**-Hikaru Kitsune**

** Team 5**

**-Kushina Uzumaki**

**-Mikuto Uchiha**

**-Kris Nei**

** Team 3**

**-Inoichi Yamanaka**

**-Choza Akimichi**

**-Shikaku Nara**

** Team 2**

**-Ren(No last name. Kishi does that enough times, so I will to)**

**-Teuchiro Kee**

**-Yeko(Same as Ren)**

** Team 11**

**-Yoshi Hyuga**

**-Hizashi Hyuga**

**-Hiashi Hyuga**

** Team 12**

**-Fugaku Uchiha**

**-Yukiro Kenshi**

**-Neno**

** Team 13**

**-Tsume Inuzuka**

**-Shibi Aburame**

**-Hitomi Hyuga**

**That's it for the teams! Try to figure out the parents of each charecter XD PS, Minato and Kushina's teams are in an earlier number because they graduated from the Academy sooner.(Kushina because of Mikuto's help) Also, I haven't made the sensei for all the teams. Team 2 is lead by Dan(You remember him from Tsunade's flash-back, right?) and Team 4's sensei is Jiriaya! There are other teams, but these are the only important ones for now. Enjoy the chapter! :D**

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Minato jumped to his feet, wide awake. It was the morning of the second day! Hikaru, who slept beside him, was gone, out on the last shift. He and Sari had taken turns so Minato could heal in the night. Sari had gone out a bit before to fetch water. She returned just as Minato was finishing in attaching his ninja weapons pouch back on.

"Let's get some food. But first, I want to make sure you are completely healed...,"Sari held out her hands, checking over Minato until she gave the thumbs up. "You're good."

Minato nodded, taking the lead. His stomach growled, and he knew his companions shared his discomfort. Then Minato stopped, listening closely. "You hear that?,"Minato asked his teammates.

"What? Hear what?,"Sari asked. "Frogs!,"Hikaru gasped. "And where there's frogs, there's water!,"Minato concluded, rushing towards the noise. Soon, the croaking was drowned out by the sound of rushing water.

"Hikaru, scare some fish from the water! Sari, collect some firewood and see if you can start as fire,"Minato ordered. Sari and Hikaru nodded, splitting up. After a while, Hikaru dived into the water in his underwear only. He drove the fish to jump into the air. Quick as a flash, Minato shot a kunia at them, stabbing them into a tree and killing the six that had jumped out of the water.

"Good shot!,"Hikaru admired, pulling himself from the water. Sari held out the towel she had brought. Hikaru dried of quickly, changing back into his outfit. Minato stuck the fish on sticks and left them over the fire to cook.

They sat together while Sari started navigation. When they had a set route up the stream, Minato took charge. "If we take out more teams, even after we have an earth scroll, we will have less competition in the next stage. So if we get another heaven scroll, we need to keep it,"Minato decided, taking a cooked fish from the fire and handing it to Sari. He took another, giving it to Hikaru, and then took one himself. They ate their fill as they discussed strategies, and finally, Sari filled up the water containers once more before they moved out once again, staying far enough in the woods that they would be hidden, but close enough to see the river.

"I think we need to start looking for teams,"Minato stopped suddenly, signalling for the rest of the team to hault as well. They found their own trees to stop on, all within view of each other. Minato had heard something, he was certain. He turned around, spotting movement within a bush below them. It stopped moving the moment Minato stared at it, and he gulped, motioning towards it. Sari and Hikaru slowly slunk forward.

Something about this didn't see right, Minato knew. Then he jumped, spinning around, only to find a girl with short black hair jumping at them. "From behind!,"Minato gasped, but it was too late. The girl stabbed a Kunia into Sari's back, forcing her into the branch. Sari let out a cry of pain as it hit her, but then fell silent, tumbling down to the ground. The girl looked up at them.

Hikaru let out a cry of rage, racing for the girl, who looked just a bit younger than they did, but Minato knew better than to judge by age. She glanced up at Minato, but he had no time to analyze her now. He jumped of the branch, diving towards the floor as fast as he could. He flashed to the ground, catching Sari in his arms. He had landed beside the bush they had saw moving before.

A man who looked taller than the girl from before jumped out from the bush. Minato couldn't dodge, but he retreated instead, jumping to Hikaru. "Hikaru! Take Sari and run! I can handle these guys!,"Minato added, forcing Sari into his arms. Hikaru shook his head. "No!,"He snapped,"I'm staying to help!"

"Sari needs you to go, now!,"Minato growled. Sari lay, barley breathing, blood gushing from the wound in her back. Hikaru, seeing her damage up close, nodded, jumping into the tree just as a man came down to attack them. It was a different one this time. The first man came out too, followed by the girl, who stood in the middle.

The girl had pitch black eyes and short black hair. Minato pulled out his special kunai, throwing it over her head. "Hikaru! Keep this!,"Minato cried. Hikaru caught it as he ran, disappearing into the leaves. Minato pulled out another special kunai, but as he did so, both men, who were on either side of her, jumped forward, kunia held in a hand, attacking Minato from either side. Minato jumped back, throwing the kunai out at the girl.

Before the men could react, the girl deflected the attack with a kunai, running at Minato, her hands moving in a hand sign. Minato smirked, jumping back.

Her lips moved as she mouthed the jutsu. She pulled her sleeve up, revealing a device tied to it. She held it up, pointing it at Minato, then pulled a wire out the back. Nettles shot from the device, aimed for Minato.

Minato smirked as the two men jumped in on either side. He closed his eyes, forming a hand sign, though nothing happened. His smirk stayed. He waited, time seeming to go in slow-motion. The nettles zoomed in closer, and the men got closer and closer. The moment Minato felt the feeling of skin brush his shoulders, knowing the men were grabbing his shoulders and the nettles were close, his eyes shot open, and he disappeared.

The men gasped. "Dodge!,"The girl cried. One man jumped from the way, but the other wasn't fast enough, being stricken by the nettles and falling to the floor. Minato appeared being the girl at that moment, grabbing the special kunia that was stuck into the tree just behind her and holding it over her neck.

"Ren!,"The man that survived cried, jumping down to attack Minato. Minato glared at him, then pulled a handful of shuriken from his pocket, one between each finger. He lifted his hand to toss them at the man, who, might Minato add, was unable to dodge from his position.

"Wait!,"Ren, the kuniochi, gasped. Minato froze. "Please! I'll give you our scroll... Just, don't hurt my teammates!"

"Ren! Don't!,"The man cried, stopping on the branch behind Minato. "We need to give Tuechiro the antidote soon! We can't keep fighting!,"Ren insisted, turning her attention back to Minato,"Please, young ninja!"

Minato removed the knife from around her neck. "Fine. And I'm older than you." Ren pulled an "Earth" scroll from her pocket, handing it to Minato. "Thank you for your kindness. Please, tell me your name. I am Ren."

"I am Minato Namikaze, from the team lead by Jiriaya,"Minato told her, taking the Earth scroll and placing it in his pocket with his heaven scroll. He turned without another word, forming the teleportation hand signs. He must find Hikaru and Sari and make sure they were ok. At least they had his kunia on them.

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**I hope this chapter had enough action for you :D I originally put Ren as Shizune, but then I realized Shizune was the same age as Kakashi, I decided to change it to an OCC. We can't have Shizune being an old lady, now can we? I don't have much to say this time around. You guys know the drill. Review, favorite, and follow if you like. Favorite/Follow me(the author) to join the Sacred Army. Also, if today isn't Monday were you live, I'm so sory for the confusion. For everyone in America, a new chapter comes out on Monday! Try to figure out what day this came out, so you know when to look onto my chapter! See you next week! Bye! :D**


	9. Protecting Sari

**Disclaimer: Sadly, Kishi owns Naruto... Not me...**

**I almost forgot to upload this time round! I'm so happy I remembered, or I would have angered you guys SOOOOO much! I'm leaving to camp for two weeks, so I'll upload a bit early, just before I leave. Am I the only fan of Naruto that realized a child of Naruhina would have the rinnegan? The Hyuuga is distantly related to Uchiha, so they have the sage's 'eyes' and the Uzumaki are distantly related to the Senju, so they have the sage's 'body'! Those are the requirements to have the rinnegan! So the child of Naruhina would be the only child since the Sage of Six Paths to get the Rinnegan without injecting DNA into their body. Anyway, I'm rushing to edit this because there's only about three hours until my deadline is overdue! So don't be surprised if there are more mistakes than usual this time around! Again, I'm so sorry 'bout that! Enjoy the story!**

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Minato jumped down onto the ground outside a large cave. Minato walked into a cave, only to find Hikaru, crouched beside Sari. "Minato!,"He gasped spinning around. "Help! I can't stop the bleeding!,"He pressed the towel to her side, but blood was soaking through, dying the cloth bright red.

"Hi-ka-ru...,"She murmured, looking up weakly as Minato walked up to her side. "I'll help!,"Minato gasped, grabbing the towel he had and pressing it against her wound, though it soak through that one aswell.

"Mi-na-to,"Her voice was weak. "I-It's ok,"Hikaru's voice was trembling, and Minato was struggling to keep a calm face. "You're going to be fine! I promise! Sari, please! Hold on!,"Hikaru begged. "Good bye,"She whispered. Her hand fell and her eyes closed. Hikaru looked like he was starting to cry.

"This is no time for tears!,"Minato snapped almost immediately. "How can you be so heartless, Minato? She saved you! How can you not cry? How can you-,"Hikaru began, but Minato stopped him. "She's not dead yet! Look! We still have a chance to save her!"

Hikaru gasped, noticing Minato was right. "Go to the river and was your towel off! Get some water too!,"Minato ordered, taking the completely blood soaked towel and handing it to Hikaru. They didn't have much time. They had to be quick.

"Sari! Hang in there!,"Hikaru begged before jumping off. Minato started with tying the towel around her tightly so he could work. He took his ninja-weapons pouch off, carefully inching it underneath Sari's head.

Then he grabbed the third towel from Sari's bag, replacing his now blood-soaked one. "You're going to be ok,"Minato murmured. He noticed the bleeding slowing down, but if it didn't completely stop soon, she would die of blood loss! Minato felt her forehead. Fever...

"Minato!,"Hikaru called jumping down beside him with his damp, but clean, now-white towel. Then Hikaru handed him the container of water. "Get this towel wet next!,"Minato ordered, giving Hikaru the second towel.

Hikaru jumped away. Minato folded up the wet towel, placing it on Sari's head. Then he lifted her chest slightly. She didn't stir. The only sign of life was the weak rise and fall of her blood-stained chest. He poured a few drops of water into her mouth, leaving half the bottle. He then pulled of the towel, pulling her shirt up only enough to reveal the wound on her side, and just in cause, he kept his eyes closed.

Minato poured the water onto the wound, pulling the shirt back down. He opened his eyes and tied the towel back around the wound before more blood could come. Then he gave Sari the rest of the water container before putting it down.

Hikaru appeared again, handing the towel back. "Get fresh water and clean this towel,"Minato ordered again, taking the fresh towel and replacing the drying one on Sari's forehead. He handed that to Hikaru as well. "Get it damp."

Hikaru nodded, running off once again. Minato realized the bleeding on Sari's side had slowed just enough that he could bandage it up. He took out Sari's medical kit, grabbing the antibiotics and rubbing them over her wound. He lifted her shirt once again to tie the bandages one, being more careful as he couldn't close his eyes this time.

When he was done, he pulled her shirt back down, sighing in relief. Her bleeding wasn't soaking through this time, which was certainly a good thing. Hikaru appeared soon after with the water and fresh towels. Minato replaced the older towel, hanging it on a branch. He placed the knew towel on Sari's forehead again.

"Her bleeding stopped. But she had a fever...,"Minato murmured. "But she survived...,"Hikaru insisted,"And that's the good thing."

Minato nodded, though his eyes didn't leave Sari. Her cheeks were flushed with fever and her breathing was ragged. Minato took the blanket from her bag and pulled it over her very carefully. "That team had an Earth scroll. I got it from her,"Minato told Hikaru as he did so, though softly.

"That means we can follow the stream straight to the tower when Sari gets better!,"Hikaru exclaimed. "No...,"Minato shook his head. "Sari won't be healed by then. She isn't good enough to completely heal a wound yet, remember?"

"But we can't just take off to the tower and leave her here! She could get eaten, or another team would find her and kill her off!,"Hikaru roared. "Shhh! We don't want to be found here!,"Minato snapped.

"Calm down. If she is still sick and it's almost the end of the five days, we can take turns carrying her. The bad thing is that if she is sick while we do that, I wouldn't be able to use my jutsu. We'd have to walk slowly."

Hikaru nodded, giving Sari a grim look. "Further more... We are already on our second day, and not even making very good progress. I want a watch at all times with Sari. If she isn't better by tomorrow, we start walking." Minato was taking charge now... Hikaru and Sari needed him to... Minato looked out the cave. "Take the first watch. I am refilling the other containers and getting us some food. I'm also going to search for weaker teams so we have less competition."

"Be careful,"Hikaru called, his voice now full of determination. Minato nodded, flashing away. He raced through the treetops. He quickly refilled the bottles, then went looking in the forest.

He pressed his finger to the ground, concentrating as much as he could. A vibration of the ground caught his attention. He shot a kunia through the bush it came from. He walked over to find a lizard on it. He continued hunting until he had two more animals. Last time, they had to abandon the fish they had cooked by the creek, and Minato regretted it, his stomach growling as he carried the food back.

Minato got back quickly without sighting any enemy patrols, but just as he walked through the door, something jumped down towards him. Sensing him early on, Minato jumped back dodging the attack narrowly. "Minato!,"Hikaru gasped, looking up with a kunia in his hands.

"Sorry! I thought you were someone else." Minato shook his head, holding out the supplies and walking over to Hikaru's side. "I replaced your towel, Minato. She was getting really warm, and the towel was almost dry,"Hikaru explained.

Minato looked at her worriedly. The blush on her cheeks had become brighter, and her breathing more ragged and heavy. "I'll get firewood,"Hikaru volunteered. "Thanks,"Minato added, laying the food down. He lifted her up once again after Hikaru was gone, checking her bandage. It would have to be replaced, but that came later.

Minato held up a small container of water, helping Sari gulp down a few drops. She would need help eating too, but this was more important. He damped the drying towels that hung on a branch, putting the container away just as Hikaru walked in. He pushed the pile of wood into a sorted fireplace.

"I can get it started. Replace Sari's bandage while I'm at it,"Minato ordered, walking up to the fire. He clapped two pieces of rock together until a spark lit the warm fire. It was getting late already, the sky dark.

"I'll take watch this time first,"Minato called back, heading out of the cave. Hikaru began cooking the food while Minato left, then lifted Sari to replace the bandages. Minato glanced back and forth carefully. He stayed close to the shadows so that his presence wouldn't alert any attackers.

But everything was quiet, absolutely quiet.

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**You might recognize that last line from Magic Tree House, but it fit this story better than any other line I could come up with, and 'But everything was quiet' was such a boring way to end the story! Also... I had this one thought stuck in my head for so long now... "The awkward moment when you realize you have no friends, not because they are jerks, but because you're a jerk." I realized what everyone thought of me... It feels uncomfortable to smile while showing teeth, so I just do a smaller smile with my mouth closed, but trust me, it looks a lot cuter in anime XD I'm a bit of a brat... Ok, ok, a lot of a brat... kinda like Sakura is, especially the part were you hit boys in class if they get to annoying xD Only difference was I was a big brat and got kicked out of like five preschools because of that... not even going into detail about that... O.o So I have a hard time writing about how "innocent" kids are when they are young... I don't think I know a single "innocent" little kid... Other than my cousins... They so cute! :D I'm so sorry this was updated so late! I was so lazy, sleeping in until an hour after noon, then doing one choir and lying back in bed to do nothing but write fanfictions for the rest of the day!**

**Amazing quote of the day that will most likely end up in another fanfiction of mine if I ever make it: "Someone once said being a shinobi is the hardest job in our world. Obviously that man was never a parent"**

**You know the drill by now! Please follow/favorite my account to join the Sacred Army! Review, follow, or favorite my story! THAT IS AN ORDER MY MINIONS! :D MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! Ok, I'm done! Bye, see you next chapter!**


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